Barcelona, Spain

Described as the 'Paris of Spain', Barcelona is a city of museums, inspiring architecture, churches and of course the La Rambla! Art aficionados are going to love this city: La Sagradia Familia with its soaring vertical towers that after even a hundred years is still under construction, the art of Gaudi that is strewn all over the city or the Museo Picasso that holds masterpieces of this master artist. Stroll along La Rambla, spend an afternoon at a tapas bar and in the evening take in an enthralling show by a flamenco dancer at the local restaurant. Barcelona offers all this and so much more!

DON'T MISS

A visit to the Picasso Museum is definitely in order. The museum holds a very large collection of this master artist - some 2000 of them!

Watch a flamenco dance show - so much energy and so beautiful!

THINGS TO DO AND SEE

Take a walk around the centre of the city and look around to spot the architecture wonders of Gaudi. They are all around. The impressive Sagrada Familia reigns, and a visit into the building is as interesting, as viewing it from outside.

Visit the Park Guell to view the other outdoor works of Gaudi - this is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the iconic lizard made up of mosaic, the two mechanical gazelles structures and the twisted columns and paths are surreal and magical at the same time.

Make the effort to climb Montjuic, the big hill that looms over Barcelona from where you will get a bird's eye view of the sprawling city below.

Visit the Gothic Quarter that is Barcelona's most famous district. The narrows streets through it are charming and the favorites are the streets between Placa Reial and the seafront.

GRAB A BITE

Barcelona is simply the best place to savour Catalan cuisine. There are many places to try this cuisine, but undoubtedly one of the better ones is Leku in Les Corts district. Spend an afternoon savouring a long and leisurely tapas meal at any one of the tapas bars around La Ramblas. And do make it a point to try the paella that is a traditional Spanish dish.

SHOP

Barcelona is quite the shopping hub, and the major shopping districts are located in the historical and central areas of the city. Fashionastas will know that Zara and Mango are the newly internationalized Spanish brands and these are of course present as are all other well known brands. Barcelona is known for its shopping and Ramblas and El Corte Inglés in Placa Catalunya has a huge department store where one can buy almost anything. One word of caution though: Please watch your wallet and handbag as pickpocketing is quite rampant in the city.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

Summers are warm, but not too hot either as May temps in the region of 69°F/21°C during the day and reaching its warmest in August at 83° F/29 °C.

LOCAL CURRENCY

The currency in use is the Euro - again, do not carry too much cash on your person as Barcelona is known for petty theft and bag snatching. Not to scare you, but just a warning to be cautious. Credit cards are accepted almost everywhere.